Exclusive: Single bid for biggest ever NHS contract

Providers across the city have formed a consortium to bid for the contract

The largest ever NHS contract on course to be awarded in early 2018

A single bid - from a consortium of existing providers - has been received for an enormous integrated care contract which would be the largest ever let in the NHS, HSJ can reveal.

The contract is for ”out of hospital” health and care services across the city of Manchester.

Manchester Health and Care Commissioning has received a single bid from the Manchester Provider Board, which is a consortium made up of Manchester City Council, local GP federations, the city’s three acute trusts, community service providers and Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust.

A tender was launched on 10 March for a 10 year contract worth £5.9bn as part of plans to set up a “local care organisation” to provide all non-acute services across Manchester.

A letter sent by Ian Williamson, chief accountable officer of Manchester Health and Care Commissioning, said it aimed to award the contract by early 2018 following an evaluation of the Manchester Provider Board’s final proposal.

The letter sent earlied this week said: “I am now able to inform you that we have receive a single submission at the qualification stage that this has been assessed as compliant. This enable us to move to the more details award stage.

“We will now undertake a ’strategic dialogue’ with the bidding consortium in which we will invite a detailed proposal to meet the requirements of the LCO service…we anticipate that a 10 year contract will be awarded in early 2018. This will be followed by a period of mobilisation prior to a go-live date of April 2018.”

The news comes after the initiation of a £5bn multi-speciality community provider tender by Dudley Clinical Commissioning Group; whilst Stockport CCG has decided against a competitive procurement process and instead plans to create a new Care Trust to provide non acute services.

Earlier this week the Competition and Markets Authority announced a decision indicating it was likely to clear the merger of Central Manchester University Hospitals Foundation Trust, University Hospital of South Manchester FT.

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